Battle in the Sea of Consciousness (Continued)

Various evil whispers echoed in his ears, sounds that were difficult to describe in words. They resembled roars, wails, cries, and screams, all intertwined together, extremely eerie. Si Ming felt as if his head was about to explode, as if his soul was about to be eroded and taken away by something indescribable. Compared to this, the wound in his chest where the Sacred Sword had pierced through him was nothing at all.

Unable to discern or retaliate, Si Ming tried to pull the Sacred Sword from his chest, but he couldn't control his limbs at all. It was as if his consciousness had been squeezed out of his body, making him a third party.

The evil power surging from the Sacred Sword was like a giant hand reaching out from the abyss, grasping Si Ming's soul and trying to pull him into boundless darkness. It was only because he possessed the characteristic of the Glazed Pure Body that he could purify himself and wash away the dust that he was not corrupted immediately.

But Si Ming knew he couldn't hold out for long. If before it was just a dusty mirror that he could wipe with a rag, now it was like a whole bucket of excrement being poured over him. If he dared to wipe it with a rag, even the rag would become smelly and dirty.

In the midst of the crisis, perhaps due to the lingering effects of using the Supreme Great Divination Sword Technique, a flash of inspiration struck amidst his chaotic thoughts. Like a drowning man grasping at a reed on the shore, Si Ming decisively unleashed his Sword Intent:

"Activate the formation!"

What he was going to activate was not the Six Heavens Forbidden Sword, but the Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Formation.

The Wheel-Turning King Sword, suspended in mid-air, plunged into the earth, activating the Buddhist Power replenished by relics. The images of a thousand Buddhas reappeared, and the pure and holy sounds cleansed away the Evil Qi.

However, this level of Buddhist Power was still not enough. The Evil Qi surging from the Sacred Sword twisted wildly, baring its fangs and claws like an enraged beast. Si Ming was still unable to move, only the speed at which he was being eroded was slowed down.

At this moment, the Heavenly Dragon World-Delivering Pagoda resonated with the Wheel-Turning King Sword, and the Eight Legions of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils hovered in the air. With the blessing of holy power, the images of the Thousand Buddhas became more solid, and the pure and holy voices became more resounding.

The Evil Qi was finally contained. Si Ming decisively activated the Tathagata's Indestructible Body magic, preventing further invasion by the Evil Qi. Then he reached out, grabbed the Sacred Sword, pulled it from his chest, and threw it out with great force.

This One Sword pierced through Si Ming's heart, allowing him to see his back through his chest. Even his Polonium Poison Primordial Spirit Body couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Sacred Sword. Fortunately, for him now, mere physical injuries were minor wounds; the truly troublesome issue was the Evil Qi invading his body.

Si Ming covered his head with both hands, his face showing a painful expression of Celestial Person turmoil, as two opposing consciousnesses clashed within his mind.

"Sin-Extinguishing Divine Lightning!"

Si Ming flicked his finger, and a ball of lightning shot out, shining like the sun, pure and scorching, cleansing sins, and evolving into a net that covered everything in its path.

Opposite him was a figure that looked exactly like him, like a clone, except that it was pitch black and exuded a crazy and violent Evil Qi.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, wind and thunder obey their mandate!"

A mocking smile curled at the corner of the shadowy figure's mouth. He spread his hands out, gathering the power of wind and thunder, and thrust them towards the electric grid. The clash of lightning bolts sent bursts of white light surging forth, each repelled by the force of the lightning.

"I know everything you know, and I don't know anything you don't know either. But when we use Technique Method, we're both consuming your soul power. Once your soul power is exhausted and your soul becomes weak, that's when I'll take over your place," the shadowy figure said confidently.

Si Ming knew that the other party was not bluffing. This was a battle of consciousness. Neither of them had a physical body and could not use their Qi Essence or Jing Essence. They could only use their Spirit Essence. Unfortunately, the other party was a parasite, and the use of his Technique Method consumed his Spirit Essence. He was truly being taken advantage of and used by the other party. In the end, he even wanted to turn the tables. It was truly shameless.

"The strange occurrence in the illusion just now, the tone of that face-changing youth sounded extremely familiar, exactly the same spiritual feeling I had when I first encountered the 'Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture' in the ice mountain. He must be the founder of the Super Martial Dao?"

"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"

"Who was behind the mutation of the Sacred Sword? Was it the founder of the Super Martial Dao or the Holy Maiden Tu Wangyue?" Si Ming was extremely curious to know who was behind this.

But the other person clearly wouldn't give him the answer; instead, they mocked him, saying, "Save your breath. With your intelligence, you couldn't possibly figure it out."

Si Ming scoffed, "You talk as if you know everything."

Of course I know, but I'm not telling you.

"Heh, to know what you know and to admit what you don't know, to pretend to know what you don't—that's the most ridiculous thing."

"Your clumsy attempt at provocation has easily exposed your lack of intelligence." The other party's ability to mock was no less than Si Ming's own.

"You are the embodiment of my malice; our IQs are the same, so mocking my intelligence is mocking yourself."

Even twins, if raised differently, might one become a scientist and the other a farmer. Though I originate from you, I surpass you; I am an enhanced and improved version of you.

"Heh heh, quite the big talker. If you've got the guts, let's have a battle of wits and see who's smarter."

"You think you can engage in a battle of wits?"

The shadowy figure's thoughts raced. This was a battle of wits. If he could deliver a mental blow, it would be no less effective than severely injuring his opponent with a powerful move. Otherwise, relying solely on Technique Method, he might not be able to win. After all, his true soul was exceptionally powerful. He had already condensed the Divine Firmament Soul Body and possessed the characteristics of the Glazed Pure Body. Furthermore, he had strengthened it multiple times through spiritual communication, making him Void Returning stronger than a Pure Void Returning Grandmaster. At best, the fight would only end in a draw.

Worst of all, the original body drew the Sacred Sword and Tathagata Indestructible Body to isolate the Evil Qi, preventing him from replenishing his energy and losing his ability to regenerate. He had to be careful, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered talking so much to the original body and would have just kept fighting and wearing him down. At worst, he would have just self-destructed in a mutually destructive manner.

Now that he only had one life, he couldn't afford to be reckless. So he readily agreed, "Fine, since you want to make a fool of yourself and show off your pathetic intelligence, can I stop you? Let's have a battle of wits then. I want to see what childish questions you can come up with with your intelligence."

"Then you'd better keep your eyes open and watch carefully, don't get scared!"

With a confident wave of his hand, Si Ming conjured a line of shimmering words that appeared above his sea of consciousness. "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name."

He turned to the other person and asked, "Do you know the deeper meaning of this verse? How do you interpret it?"

The shadowy figure glanced at it, sneered, and was about to explain when suddenly an idea struck him. He hesitated, then looked up at the sentence, finding it increasingly profound and inexplicable. Different punctuation alone could produce different interpretations.

For example, the saying "The Way that can be spoken of is not the eternal Way" can be interpreted as "If the Way can be described, then it is not the eternal and constant Way."

However, if it is changed to "The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way," it can be interpreted as "The Way can be spoken of, but it is not the eternal and unchanging Way."

However, if we change it to "The Way that can be known, the Way that cannot be known, the eternal Way," it can be interpreted as "The Way can be known, and the Way can also be unknowable; this is the eternally existing Way."

Upon seeing this, Si Ming immediately knew that he had guessed correctly; the other party had indeed not inherited all of his knowledge.

The Glazed Pure Body inherently possesses the ability to resist erosion. Coupled with his quick reaction, he promptly blocked the subsequent Evil Qi, allowing the opponent to only acquire combat-related information. Miscellaneous knowledge of this kind was undoubtedly given a much lower priority.

"Hmph, do you think I don't know your background? This sentence must come from a book you read in your past life," the shadowy figure sneered, retorting, "This sentence is so profound, I don't believe you truly understand it."

"Hahaha..."

Si Ming burst into laughter, then composed himself and said seriously, "The verses are the easiest to understand; let me explain them to you."

"I'm all ears." The shadowy figure gave him a look that said, "Let's see how you try to fool me."

"The Dao is a forced name for the ultimate, wondrous essence. The Dao that can be spoken of refers to this wondrous essence, which gives rise to all things and is the path through which all things originate; hence it is called the Dao. The Dao that is not constant is because this wondrous essence, in its generative and transformative processes, has no fixed form; it is a forced name and cannot be universally described. Therefore, it may be great or fleeting, far or returning; it is not fixed to one single Dao, hence it is called the Dao that is not constant..."

The shadowy figure initially didn't take Si Ming's words to heart, but after listening to a couple of sentences, he was completely captivated. For him, who only had a mind and no physical body, this explanation of the Great Dao was extremely tempting.